1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blade handle or holder which allows for the sequential insertion of a plurality of blades for a single use of each blade with subsequent ejection of the blade from the handle for insertion of an additional blade. More particularly, the invention relates to holders for surgical blades of a precise configuration, and to the blades so configured. Also, this invention involves the handling of contaminated blades in the surgical environment.
2. Background Description
As practitioners-in-the-art of surgical blades are aware, AIDS, hepatitis and related contagious diseases present in the blood of patients have made the practice of surgery and medicine, in general, more dangerous than was the case several years ago, simply because one must be extremely careful to avoid contamination of his or her own blood with the blood of an infected patient. For this reason, many devices have been developed for handling instruments to avoid contaminated sharp edges or points which have been contaminated with the blood of infected persons. This is particularly true in the surgical environment where surgical blades are used in great quantity and must be disposed of without being touched, if possible, and certainly without the user being cut or having his or her skin punctured in any way.
Thus, it is important to be able to insert and remove a blade from a holder for the blade, without the user having to actually touch the blade, if possible. If it is necessary to touch the blade, then it is appropriate to touch only the tang portion of the blade and avoid any contact with the sharp edge. It is to this environment that the present invention is directed.
Many arrangements have been developed to obviate the problems discussed above, and to provide blade holders which will hold the blade precisely in the position desired, provide ease of insertion so that a user is not cut prior to any use of the blade and/or holder, and insure that the blade is firmly held against any wobbling or movement in the handle, which would reduce the effectiveness of any surgery being performed with such a blade.
Arrangements have been provided in the past wherein elongated blade holders have been provided with two parts of the holder pivoting relative to each other for insertion of the blade into the holder and for holding the blade in place. These arrangements have a pivot axis at one end of the two parts forming the holder. With such an arrangement, the user cannot perform removal of the blade single-handedly since it is necessary to use both hands for handling the two pivoting parts. Representative of such arrangements are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,245,096 and 3,906,625. Both of these patents have the pivot axis positioned at the end opposite the end where the blade is inserted.
Other devices of the kind discussed herein include those in which the pivot axis is positioned centrally of the ends of the blade holder. Again, with such arrangements the user must use both hands to manipulate the two parts around the central pivot axis in order to insert and remove the brade. Representative of such prior art patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,478,668 and 2,637,105.
In order to facilitate a single-handed operation for surgical blade holders and the cooperating blade of the kind discussed herein, the pivot axis is positioned adjacent to the blade during use. This enables the user to have a substantially long non-pivoting handle portion to grip for opening and closing the device for insertion and ejection of the blade. Representative of such arrangements are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,039,443 and 1,914,153. Both of these patents use a separate rotating ejector arrangement which pivots adjacent to the blade to cause the blade to become "unwedged" from its use position for removal of the blade. However, the ejector cams the blade only partially out of its holder arrangement. The user must, after this camming action, grip the blade for final removal from the handle thus risking a cut from the contaminated blade.